Tag: Ta’Quan Roberson

Former Penn State QB takes over starting job at UConn

Former Penn State QB named new starting QB with his new team.

After losing the starting job due to injury a season ago, former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Ta’Quan Roberson[/autotag] will step back into the starting role with the UConn Huskies as a result of an injury. Roberson has been named the new starting quarterback for the Huskies by head coach Jim Mora following an injury to Joe Fagnano, who had been the team’s starting quarterback this season.

“Now this year, the guy ahead of Ta’Quan gets hurt and now Ta’Quan gets his chance again,” Mora said when updating the media about his team’s quarterback situation, via an AP report. “We have a lot of confidence in him and we’re really disappointed for Joe.”

Roberson transferred from Penn State to UConn after the 2021 season, and he was given the starting role by Mora in his first season as head coach of the UConn program. But Roberson was injured in UConn’s first game of the 2022 season, and he never saw the field again for the rest of the year.

Roberson completed just one of two pass attempts before suffering a season-ending shoulder surgery in 2022. Roberson played last weekend in UConn’s 35-14 loss to Georgia State. He completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 216 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. He also carried the football four times for a gain of 11 yards.

Roberson was a backup to former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford in 2021, getting backup snaps ahead of another former Penn State quarterback who later transferred, Christian Veilleux, early in the season. Roberson relieved an injured Clifford in a road game at Iowa that ultimately resulted in Penn State’s first loss of the season, and Roberson took a lot of heat for his performance, which was largely unfair to him. Roberson completed just 7 of 21 pass attempts for 34 yards with two interceptions in the 23-20 loss, a game Penn State appeared to be in control of at the time Clifford left the game with an injury.

Roberson was unable to land the starting job leading up to the 2023 season as UConn opted to go with Fagnano, an experienced transfer from Maine that seemed like a solid fit for the Huskies. Fagnano started UConn’s game against Georgia State before coming out with his shoulder injury.

Roberson’s first time back in the starting saddle for UConn will take place this Saturday with a home game against FIU.

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Former Penn State QB injured in season opener with new team

This is not how former Penn State QB Ta’Quan Roberson wanted to see his fresh start play out.

Well, so much for the potential redemption story for former Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson. At least for the season opener. Hours after getting the chance to be the starting quarterback for the UConn Huskies and guiding the underdogs to an early lead against Utah State, Roberson was knocked out of the game with a knee injury.

Roberson scored the game’s first touchdown of the day, scoring on a QB sneak up the middle from the Utah State one-yard line. But Roberson’s time on the following UConn possession. On a keeper on second down, Roberson picked up five yards but left the game with an apparent knee injury. Reports indicated he hurt his right knee on the play.

It was later reported Roberson would not return to the game.

Roberson’s brief UConn debut ended with just one completion on two pass attempts for 10 yards and eight rushing yards on three carries with the one rushing touchdown.

The severity of the injury has yet to be revealed, and whether or not that information will be made available remains to be seen. But unfortunately, this was not how anyone wanted to see the former Nittany Lions quarterback’s fresh start get underway.

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Former Penn State QB wins starting job at new program

Best of luck to former Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, who will be the starting QB for UConn.

There will be two former Penn State quarterbacks starting the season as QB1 with another program this fall. [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] took the SEC and Kentucky by storm last season after being anointed the starting quarterback for the Wildcats last season, and he is now a trendy pick to be among the first quarterbacks chosen in the 2023 NFL draft. It may be premature to suggest the fortunes will smile upon [autotag]Ta’Quan Roberson[/autotag] the same way at UConn, but a fresh start may have paid off for the former Penn State backup.

Roberson, as expected, has been tabbed as the starting quarterback for the UConn Huskies, who begin their 2022 season on Saturday at Utah State. Pete Thamel of ESPN reported the quarterback news on Saturday morning, hours before UConn was set to kickoff against the defending Mountain West Conference champions. Roberson will be the first starting quarterback for new UConn head coach Jim Mora, and there is still some good potential to be utilized for the Huskies program.

Roberson was used in limited action during his short stay at Penn State. He appeared in four games for the Nittany Lions last season, most notably in place of an injured Sean Clifford in a road loss at Iowa. Roberson was in a tough spot against the Hawkeyes and did not perform well enough to help Penn State hold off Iowa in the first loss of the 2021 season.

When Clifford was forced out of a game later in the season against Rutgers, it was Christian Veilleux who took the field in place of Roberson. The writing appeared to be on the wall at that point, and Roberson entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2021 season.

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Transfer portal: TaQuan Roberson officially joins UConn Huskies

Former Penn State QB Ta’Quan Roberson is officially welcomed by his new school out of the transfer portal

A few weeks after announcing his commitment to his new school, former Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson has officially been welcomed into his new home. Roberson announced his commitment to the Connecticut Huskies in late December, a couple of weeks after confirming he has entered the NCAA transfer portal. On Monday, UConn made the news official by announcing they had signed Roberson to be a part of the Huskies program.

Roberson will be eligible immediately for the Huskies, and he should have a good chance to land a key role in the offense under new UConn head coach Jim Mora.

Roberson is a former four-star recruit of Penn State’s in the Class of 2019, but he was never more than a backup option for established starter Sean Clifford, who announced he will return to Penn State for another season in 2022. Roberson was used as a backup for an injured Clifford in a road game at Iowa, and it did not go particularly well for the in-experienced backup. Roberson struggled to guide the Penn State offense against a feisty Iowa defense that had been racking up interceptions at an astonishing rate early in the season.

In a sense, it was a really tough spot to expect too much out of Roberson. When Clifford went down with an injury in a game later in the season against Rutgers, Penn State opted to go with Christian Veilleux as the first relief option, not Roberson.

Roberson entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal on December 13, which was to be expected given the situation with the quarterback situation in 2022 and beyond with Class of 2022 quarterback Drew Allar on board. UConn was among the first schools to show interest in Roberson, and he may have a chance to become a starter fairly quickly under Mora with the Huskies.

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Where are they now? Penn State football’s Class of 2019

Here is where every player from Penn State’s Class of 2019 sits today, four years later

The 2022 college football season will mark the fourth year since the Class of 2019 was signed by Penn State. One of the top classes in the Big Ten, coming in at No. 2 in the conference according to 247 Sports, Penn State’s recruiting haul for 2019 was certainly full of potential for big things. And entering 2022, some of those players signed by the Nittany Lions are living the dream while others are looking for some clean starts, and others remain in Happy Valley hoping to end their college careers on a high note.

With so much happening in the offseason, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at Penn State’s Class of 2019 to see where everyone is currently stands.

Transfer Portal: Former Penn State QB announces transfer destination

Former Penn State QB Ta’Quan Roberson has announced where he will transfer

A decision has been made on where former Penn State quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson will continue his college football career. Roberson announced on Tuesday he has committed to the University of Connecticut.

Roberson announced his commitment with a short message on his Twitter account accompanied by an edited photo of him in a UConn football uniform. Roberson will have three years of eligibility at his disposal with the Huskies, who are now being coached by former UCLA head coach Jim Mora after a coaching change this offseason for the struggling program.

Roberson is a former four-star recruit of Penn State’s in the Class of 2019, but he was never more than a backup option for established starter Sean Clifford, who announced he will return to Penn State for another season in 2022. Roberson was used as a backup for an injured Clifford in a road game at Iowa, and it did not go particularly well for the in-experienced backup. Roberson struggled to guide the Penn State offense against a feisty Iowa defense that had been racking up interceptions at an astonishing rate early in the season.

In a sense, it was a really tough spot to expect too much out of Roberson. When Clifford went down with an injury in a game later in the season against Rutgers, Penn State opted to go with Christian Veilleux as the first relief option, not Roberson.

Roberson entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal on December 13, which was to be expected given the situation with the quarterback situation in 2022 and beyond with Class of 2022 quarterback Drew Allar on board. UConn was among the first schools to show interest in Roberson, and he may have a chance to become a starter fairly quickly under Mora with the Huskies.

Roberson will be immediately eligible for UConn and he still has plenty of potential to be a fun player to watch.

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Penn State loses Ta’Quan Roberson to transfer portal

Sophomore quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson announced on his Twitter that he will be leaving State College and finding a new home. 

It has been a wild couple of days with transfer portal quarterbacks. Last night, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announced his decision to transfer.

This morning, USC quarterback Kedon Slovis also announced his intention to transfer.

Penn State also lost one of their signal callers to the transfer portal this morning. Sophomore quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson announced on his Twitter that he will be leaving State College and finding a new home.

This comes as really no surprise. Sean Clifford announcing his decision to stay one final year at Penn State probably played a big factor in some of these decisions for their quarterback room.

Roberson appeared in one game this season, which was against Iowa when Clifford went down with an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of that night. Penn State held a 17-3 lead before Roberson entered the game.

The Nittany Lions also have two talented quarterbacks coming in: Drew Allar and Beau Pribula.

Roberson has played in just two games for Penn State over the past two seasons.

He was a three-star recruit coming in who didn’t receive too many offers from Power Five schools.

The New Jersey quarterback decided to stay on the east coast for his first two seasons before announcing his decision today.

However, it didn’t take long for Roberson to receive offers after he entered the transfer portal this morning.

Roberson received an offer from the University of Connecticut just a few hours after his announcement to transfer.

Penn State has a talented quarterback room, and it was unlikely Roberson would’ve seen much more playing time than he was currently getting.

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James Franklin explains why Christian Veilleux didn’t play against Iowa

James Franklin expected questions about why he didn’t play Christian Veilleux at Iowa after Veilleux’s impressive showing against Rutgers

As the old saying goes, hindsight can be 20/20. After watching Penn State freshman Christian Veilleux come off the sideline to replace an injured Sean Clifford and lead the Nittany Lions to a 28-0 victory over Rutgers on Saturday, many fans were quick to wonder why James Franklin didn’t turn to Veilleux earlier in the season in a similar situation.

Penn State’s first loss of the season came on the road against the Iowa Hawkeyes. In that game, Penn State was in the driver’s seat with Clifford on the field, but the starting quarterback was knocked out of the game in the first half and Franklin turned to Ta’Quan Roberson to lead the offense for the remainder of the game. That ended up being an absolute disaster as the offense lost all momentum and had no answers for a difficult Iowa defense in Kinnick Stadium. Simply put, it was a terrible spot for any backup quarterback to step in.

But given what fans saw against Rutgers, would Veilleux have done any worse than Roberson at Iowa? Could Veilleux have led Penn State to at least one more scoring drive that would have changed the outcome of the pivotal game?

Franklin defended the logic behind not going to Veilleux against Iowa by suggesting Veilleux has improved in practices as the season has gone along, and he was more prepared for the moment against Rutgers than he might have been against Iowa.

“They’re allowed to get better,” Franklin said of players in general during the course of the season during his postgame media session after the win over Rutgers. “You know, at that point, it was not obvious that he was going to be the backup quarterback. I also don’t know if going on the road at Iowa, number two in the country, in his first three possessions at the minus-one, the minus-two and a minus-one. Ta’Quan had been in the program longer and really, it’s pretty obvious to everybody, that he gave us the best chance at that stage to win.”

This is a topic where coaches working every practice throughout the week and season have much more information and insight on what their players can or cannot do at any given point in time. Veilleux had not played a down of football since 2019, and asking him to step in for an injured Clifford against a feisty Iowa defense in Kinnick Stadium in the sixth game of the season could have also been a disaster. Perhaps, in this case, there was no perfect solution for Penn State in that game against the Hawkeyes.

But Franklin knew to expect that line of questioning.

“After the way Veilleux played today, I get the question. I understand it totally, but he’s just gotten better,” Franklin explained. “You got to remember, he didn’t play football his senior year. His season got canceled because of COVID. So, he just keeps getting better and I was proud of him. He was very poised today, made some plays with his legs, made some big-time throws, made some checks. Obviously, it’s something to build on, but I get the question. He’s gotten better, that’s the difference and that’s the reason.”

So now the question will be this; will Veilleux get his first career start this weekend on the road against Michigan State? Or will Clifford be ready to step back on the field for the regular-season finale in East Lansing?

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